MADISON

  SUMMER’S END

  Tanner, eager, and nervous, unable to listen to speeches made by people whose names he can’t remember. Hand sore from repetitive shaking and congratulations from unfamiliar faces. Tanner feels startled when the kind priest speaks to him. “It is time.”

  “What? Already? Sorry, I’m not paying attention, am I?”

  The priest smiles at him and whispers. “I was the same way at my Attunement.” He confides with a small chuckle.

  With a deep breath, he walks out onto the arena floor, just as he practiced. The priest escorts him to a pillar that almost mirrors the Dungeon pillar he visited eight days earlier.

  “Position your hands on the sides with the handprints. You can close your eyes or keep them open. It doesn’t matter.”

  With a nod of thanks, Tanner places his hands where he is told. He’s unprepared to encounter a smiling woman. “Hello Tanner, please sit.”

  He discovers a well-lit modest room, furnished by a simple table and two chairs. He sits with her, “Who are you?”

  “You’ll find out in time. Right now, you have some choices ahead of you. Reflect on what feels right for you during this. Can you do that?”

  “I think so,” Tanner answers. “Can I ask why I feel like I am deep under water?”

  “You can feel that? At this moment?” The woman gazes intently at him.

  “It feels like when I dive deep in the harbor.”

  “Interesting. The feeling will pass when you move forward.” She observes. “When you leave, choices await you. Open the gates that feel the most comforting. You may hear a voice instructing you, you do not have to do what it tells you. But it may give you the best advice to follow. After you walk through each gate, you will face more gates. Continue until you feel you should stop. Don’t worry about additional gates. Don’t worry about the number of gates you’ve opened. This place is outside of your normal existence. It has a calming effect on you. It will help you with your choices, in case you are wondering why you are not more anxious. Take your time. Relax, time is motionless in this place. Your friend Claire has already gone on ahead. Remember, tune into what feels right. Here, take this and run along now. We are all very busy today.”

  Tanner stands across from the door. When he attempts to turn around, he finds he can only face forward. Looking down at his hands, he finds he is holding a token. Opening his hand, he finds he can not drop the token. It seems to be attached to his palm. Shrugging his shoulders, he opens the door. He walks down a short corridor and arrives at a three-way stair intersection. Left stairs curve under the hallway, right stairs curve over top the hall. The straight path goes down a short flight of three steps, ending at a landing on which he can see leads to a sturdy gate. Beyond the gate, only darkness. Concentrating on the straight path, it feels okay, but not the right fit for him. Sidestepping left, Tanner receives the same sensations as the first stairs. Turning toward the right, he hears a small voice coming from the right stairs leading up, whispering. “This way. This way.” After climbing the right-hand stairway, he feels a strong sense of accomplishment, like after completing a hard task. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he discovers a small landing. The sole exit is a gate constructed from an unfamiliar metal. Resembling a garden gate found in most manor houses in any city in the empire.

  Tanner walks closer. He can see the gate’s details clearly. The gate's bars, shaped in strange curved ornate patterns, become visible to him as he gets closer. The patterns seem to form a language just at the edge of understanding. ?Looking beyond the gate, he can only sense darkness. Reaching his hand with the token to touch the gate, he feels a slight pressure in the middle of his forehead, just above his eyes. Grasping the latch and opening the gate brings a more intense feeling of pressure. The gate opens, Tanner feels he should push the gate open as far as he can. Feeling resistance from the gate door, he pushes harder, throwing all of his weight and strength into the metal bars. The pressure in his head mounts with the resistance of the gate. After a brief struggle, the gate slams halfway open and stops. No amount of pushing moves the gate further. Gasping, Tanner falls to his knees, holding his head. Tanner hears an announcement. [You have opened the MIND GATE (RARE).] The pain vanishes, as if it never existed. Standing, Tanner looks back at the gate. It seems much larger. After reaching out to touch it again, he notices the token is gone. Interested but not caring, Tanner turns to survey his location. Standing at the entrance to an enormous dome shaped chamber stepping forward on the suspended walkway, he sees more detail. The room takes the form of a round sphere, not a dome. Tanner stops in the center. He closes his eyes and reaches out with a strange new sense originating from the area in his head that pained him while opening the gate. He realizes that an odd mineral composes the sphere. Unable to see any seams in the walls, Tanner thinks to himself. ‘What an odd place.’ The pressure surrounding him increases like he has dove deeper into the water.

  “Stop, wait, stay, endure. The longer the better.” Attempting to move forward after the pressure becomes an unbearable crippling pain, and falling to his hands and knees, Tanner struggles to crawl to the far side of the suspended walkway, the pain becoming greater with every movement. The pathway seems to stretch farther while he slowly crawls to the archway. After reaching the arch, he crawls through into a large, grassy, park-like area. The painful sensation flows away from him while a powerful gust of wind passes him from behind. A voice announces, [EPIC Resonance.] pausing for any additional information. Standing on a paved walking path, Tanner looks over the area. The path leads to a small courtyard with several more gates. Two pillars suspend each gate, and looking beyond each gate, Tanner sees the pathways with more gates spreading out over the well trimmed grassland. When Tanner surveys the first gated area, he realizes the gates are arranged in a specific order. The first stage has six gates. Walking down the path toward the first gate on the left, Tanner stops. Looking the gate over, he feels a warmth that takes his breath away. Tanner shrugs, and moves to the next in line. In front of this gate, Tanner feels an intense dislike. Moving to the third gate, he feels a slight welcoming aura. Checking the fourth gate, he is surprised to feel that same repulsive aura the second gate emits. Tanner moves to the fifth gate and is drawn to it. This gate’s aura overwhelms him, eclipsing all others. Walking forward, the gate seems to grow larger, more decor added with every step. Preoccupied reading the Gates' words, Tanner continues onward until the gate opens on its own, not realizing he can now read the Gates' symbols. Tanner approaches the welcoming gate, Tanner feels like coming home after a long trip. The other connecting pathways and gates fade the closer he walks his chosen path. Tanner steps beyond the gate, the pressure Tanner had been feeling moves toward his head, seeming to funnel into his forehead, then throughout his body. He once again hears an announcement. [Your origin aspect is ARCANE (EPIC).] Tanner stops moving after hearing the same voice from earlier whispering, “Stop. Go no further. Say you’re done.” Speaking aloud, Tanner announces. “I am done.”

  Tanner blinks and steps back from the pillar. He looks at the priest in amazement. “What just happened? I feel different? I recall a room with a woman. She said something. Why don’t I remember?” He asks the priest.

  With a gentle smile, the priest leads him to the other side. “You feel different because of the Essence flowing into you. We believe the woman may be the Goddess. Not everyone sees her face or even hears her voice. Many only see the notice. Just dismiss it and it will disappear.” Tanner, too caught up in his vision of the strange woman, didn’t even notice the writing that had appeared in front of his eyes. ‘Dismiss.’ He thinks, and the box goes away.

  “Now think Status, and it will reappear.” The priest said.

  ‘Status.’ He thinks, and the information reappears. “Wow, thank you, this is amazing.” He thanks the man for his help.

  “Do you remember anything about your experience, other than the woman you met?” The priest asks him.

  “No, just someone talking to me, but I don’t remember what they said, sorry. It’s like a dream fading as I wake up from a deep sleep.”

  “Many don’t remember that much.” The deacon said to him with a comforting pat on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you now, go straight through this archway, and someone will be there to explain all the information you now possess. If you need to, you can talk to one of the other clergy staff. Many of you have questions after your experience,” the kind man explains.

  “Okay, I may do that. Thanks, again.” He says to the priest. Tanner walks through the archway, Penny is there to meet him.

  “Hello there, and congratulations.” She smiles at him. “Let’s join Claire in the Imperial box.”

  “Do we need to see the councilors?” Tanner asks.

  “No, Rhys and I are qualified. We will act as your council, if that is alright with you?”

  “I think I would prefer a familiar face.” Tanner answers, following Penny around the stadium.

  Once in the Imperial box, Tanner finds a seat next to a distracted Claire. Rhys and Penelope sit across from the Attuned couple. “Ask your questions. We will guide you both in the basics and answer questions you may have.” Penny said with a gentle smile.

  A serious Rhys nods his head. “We are here to guide you both. Bring up you status sheets. Let’s go over the information together. Your Status Sheet is personnel. You can share as little as just your name, or you can share the whole thing. Whom you chose to share it with is up to you. Only when under criminal investigation and by an order of the Imperial or Church courts are you obligated to share your Status. Do you both understand this? I need you to verbalize Yes or No.”

  Tanner and Claire both say, “Yes.”

  “You don’t need to share any information with me. We’ll examine your sheets, which are all structured in the same format. At the top of the sheet you have your Name: First, and Last name. If you have a Middle name, you can display it if you would like. If you want, just your first name showing, or just your last name. Your Status Sheets are customizable any way you would like to display the information.”

  Penny takes over the explanation. “Then next to your name is Tier: it will be ‘0’, at level 11. It will increase to ‘1’. The Next line is the Gate you have opened, and your Affinity. Our whole reason for being here. The next line is your Class, it should read none under Level 10. Once you hit level 10, the system will give you class options. Read down your Status Sheet, you will find your Level:. The next line lists your Hit Points, or (HP). This number is significant. If it goes to zero, you can die. If it goes negative, you will die. The next line is your Mana Points, or (MP). This number gives you an idea of how long you can cast spells. Hit points and Mana points are significant numbers to keep track of. Now you can see your attributes listed with a number value. The average for new Attuned individuals is 30 for both attributes. Everyone has higher, or lower values, remember this is just an average. People that have worked hard physical jobs often have higher body stats at first, people that have been bookish often have higher mind stats. Do not worry about a below average Attribute. All attributes can improve with effort. You should have. Body, body is a measure of how strong, agile, and fit you are. Mind, mind is a measure of your intelligence, how perceptive you are, even quantifies your wisdom. There is also a Soul Attribute some new Attuned have shown. Do either of you have a Soul Attribute showing?” The two shake their heads no. Penny pats their knees. “The academy will teach you more on these subjects. Your body attribute calculates your hit points. At this time, it equals your body number. When you hit Level 1, it will double. Your mind attribute calculates mana points. At this time, it equals your mind number. The numbers may not make sense to you right now, but you will learn more about it in school. When you hit Level 1, it will also double. “The next section will list Talents, if you have any. The following section will show spells and skills. Penelope finishes.

  Rhys takes over. “Neither of you will reach your majority until midnight tonight. Your Mother has given Penelope and myself permission to review your Status Sheet if you feel it necessary to help you understand anything.” Claire tells Rhys, “I would like to work with you, please.” Tanner looks at Penelope and asks, “Please?”

  Tanner’s Status Sheet

  NAME: Tanner Wilson-Alexander

  AFFINITY: (MIND) (RARE) Arcane (EPIC)

  TIER: 0

  LEVEL: 0

  ATTRIBUTE POINTS

  HIT POINTS (HP): 35

  MANA POINTS (MP): 47

  BODY: 35

  MIND: 47

  TALENTS:

  * ARCANE MANIPULATION; ABLE TO SENSE ARCANE ESSENCE.

  SPELLS: NONE

  SKILLS:

  * FIGHTING ARTS; HAS STUDIED AND TRAINED A MARTIAL ART.

  “What the hells? Tanner.” Penny exclaims.

  “What? Is something wrong?” Tanner asks, afraid something has gone wrong with his status. Claire and Rhys look over at Tanner and Penny.

  Penny, looking a little embarrassed, said. “Sorry, He caught me off guard. I have never seen a status like his before. He has an Affinity. I’ve never heard of. Sorry, nothing is incorrect, Tanner, it is exceptional.” She says, patting his leg in apology. “So first off your gate, we believe this refers to the three gates we have in our bodies. The Mind Gate resides within our heads, just above and between our eyes, an inch back. The Body Gate is located just under our breasts in the center, and back a few inches. Our Soul Gate centers about four inches under our belly button and a few inches in. People have been trying to figure them out for ages, but nobody knows how they work. Except for the location. We believe if it ranks, the gate is open further than an unranked gate. We rank the Classes, Affinities, Talents, Spells, and Skills. Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic. Affinities and Talents can increase in levels. The system up-grades Spells and Skills and will often combine with other similar types to form something new, in the next higher rank. You are one of the most powerful level zeroes I have ever seen. This is pretty amazing, Tanner. I need to talk to Harold and Bree. We may need someone with more expertise.”

  Penny gets up to leave, Rhys also stands. “What? You’re not the only one with a broken kid.” He smiles and winks at Claire. Walking away from the two awakened, Rhys leans closer to Penny. “I’ve never read anything about Arcane, the information may be in the archives some where. I’ll need to do some checking around. Claire has Primal as her Affinity I remember reading about Primal. They both have Attuned strangely.”

  When Penny and Rhys leave, “Can I see your status?” Claire asks.

  “I don’t know they are supposed to be very private.” Tanner teases.

  “Oh, come on, we have a bond now.” She chuckles.

  “It may not be proper.” Tanner grins.

  “Tell you what, you show me yours and I’ll show you mine,” Claire whispers.

  “I hope you two are talking about your status sheets,” Bree asks, walking up to the couple. “What would your father say, young lady?”

  The couple jump in startlement. “Wait, what?” Claire exclaims, “Yes, we are talking about our Status Sheets. What else would we be talking about?”

  Tanner realizing what their conversation might have sounded like. Flushes with embarrassment, “No. Uh I mean Yes, status sheets.” He rushes to say.

  Penny snickers. “That is not what it sounded like.” She says, in a singsong voice.

  Claire also flushes after playing the conversation back in her head. “Status sheets, definitely. Status sheets.” She states, shaking her head at the two older women. “I would never behave that way. You two should know better. I swear sometimes I am more adult than the both of you.”

  “We are just teasing, dear.”

  Penny speaks up, “Tanner is a handsome guy. You could do worse.”

  Claire replies to Penny. “Why, Captain, Pretty, Pretty, Brighteyes? Why ever would you think that?”

  Penny, eyes narrowing in mock anger. “You’ve been waiting for days to say that, haven’t you, you little brat?”

  Tanner puts his head in his hands, sighs, “Never a hole in the floor when needed.”

  The three ladies laugh. “We had a purpose other than reigning in my promiscuous daughter. I came to inform both of you. I have asked Eunice, as Voice of the Goddess, also, the Dean of Darton Academy, to look at your Status. Rhys and Penny have informed me of your Blessings from the Goddess. The information is confusing. Hopefully, one or both can provide some guidance. You will both be attending Darton, in the Imperial City. They can examine things and may provide answers.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The two walk away, Tanner and Claire resume their conversation. “Sorry sometimes, Penny and Mother can be a bit much to take if you’re not used to them. They like to tease me about boys, they have been teasing me a lot about you this last week.”

  “It’s fine. It did kind of sound like we were, uh, you know,” Tanner replies.

  “Oh, how embarrassing,” Claire giggles. “I mean for both of us,” she clarifies. “All the boys I have interacted with have either wanted favors or were looking to rise higher. A lot of the girls too, I guess. I had to distance myself when around them. I never knew if they wanted me or my position. Plus I always had a chaperon.” She shrugs with a gloomy expression. “I like you, Tanner a lot, maybe even more. I do not know why, but I feel better when you are close, but I know nothing about you. Mother seems to like you a lot. Her talent gives her more insight into people than she lets on. Penny and Rhys like you, too. My Father likes you also, I can tell. Even Tolbur likes you.” She finishes with a small shrug. “I like you too, but, well, like you said we know almost nothing about each other.”

  He laughs. “I never had much. I was just a poor orphan kid. No one was lining up to catch me. When I wasn’t training my fighting style, I spent most of my time working to get money for the Littles, or running from street gangs. I had limited time for girls. I think we are becoming more than friends. Something about you attracts me. I’m not trying to be all romantic on you. It’s just, we seem to fit.” Tanner trails off.

  Claire smiles. “I know what you mean, I feel it too. So yes, friends. We just need to keep the attraction between us in check until we figure out more about it. Are we going to show each other or not?” She smirks.

  “Penny and your mom have rubbed off on you.” Tanner laughs.

  A short time later, while looking over each other’s status sheets and trading the usage tips, they were learning. Bree, Penelope, and Rhys return with another person. Bree steps forward to introduce the newcomer. “Claire, Tanner, this is Taenya Liafinor, the Dean of Darton Academy.” Gesturing to a medium height older woman with a lean, whipcord build. Short brown hair framing a pretty but stern looking face. “Eunice, will be here soon. Dean Liafinor, this is my daughter Claire, and our recent addition to the family, Tanner Wilson-Alexander.”

  Smiling, the Dean steps forward and says, “Claire, I’ve not seen you since you were very young. Good to see you again, you have grown a lot. Tanner, congratulations on your rise and your adoption. You have both just heard, I’m Taenya Liafinor, Dean of Darton Academy. I am told you will both be attending, Tanner. I know this is sudden for you. Will Darton be acceptable?”

  “Yes, Ma’am, Darton ranks among the empire’s finest.”

  The dean smiles, making her look much more approachable. “We like to think so.” Several minutes later, after talking to the dean about what they can expect while attending Darton, Eunice arrives.

  “Sorry, today is a busy day for the church I would have been here waiting on you two if I could have. Taenya and I want to form a party with you both. Along with Penny, Bree, and Rhys. We have some things to go over. What do you have for Blessings?” Eunice asks.

  The Dean says to the new students, “It seems the both of you have a good start with your status sheets. We would like to see them. Perhaps we can provide some answers, then we can form a base plan for your education. Please understand, your first year is all about the basics. We will not be learning about your Affinities right at the start of school. You will have eight mandatory classes your first semester. Your first term you will have four classes, and a two hour physical training class. The second term, you will have four new classes and will continue the physical training class. If you have passed all of your course work for the first semester, you will start supervised Delves going into the second semester. You can also start dueling. The dueling teams are reserved for the first year, second semester, and above. This course outline is for those with Common Affinities. In the second semester, you will have four new mandatory classes. Those with Uncommon ranked and higher students will have more classes to attend. These will last the entire semester. This is conditional. You must pass the entire first semester’s classes. In the second semester, you can choose up to four electives that will last the entire semester. The minimum course load is five classes, and the maximum is eight. There are also specual classes that are invite only. We push the mandatory classes hard in the first semester. You cannot enter the school dungeons or engage in duels until you master the eight mandatory classes on the list. Dean Liafinor, pauses. “Questions so far?” She asked. Both shake their heads no. “Good. Do either of you not want to share your status sheet with each other?” Claire speaks up. “We have been looking at each other already,” she says with a faint blush. Penny and Bree laugh. Rhys looks puzzled.

  “Don’t worry Dear I’ll fill you in later.” Penny said to him.

  “Please don’t.” Tanner asks her. Bree laughs harder.

  The Imps have changed little since you were in school. The dean states. “Trouble then, and still trouble now.” She smiles. “You taught my mother and father?” Claire asks.

  “Why yes I did, I was a brand new instructor when they attended, almost 250 years ago.” Dean Liafinor says to her. “Let’s meet up for tea and discuss the ‘Imps’ school adventures.”

  Bree, holding herself in a sudden prim manner, speaks up. “I do not feel that is necessary.”

  The dean smiles and winks at the pair, mouthing, ‘Tea’. “Let us continue. We need to form a party and go over things as a group. The party will be the both of you, Penelope, Rhys, Eunice, your mother, and myself. Penny and Rhys have informed Bree and me you both have unusual blessings. Is this acceptable?”

  Tanner and Claire look at each other. “I’m okay with it.” Tanner says.

  “I am as well.” Claire says. A message shows in front of their eyes.

  [Taenya Liafinor would like to form a party of seven. Accept YES or NO.]

  The dean requests they look at the [YES] response and encourages them to consider saying yes. A new screen shows.

  [Bree Contigo, Eunice Greene, Rhys Brightstar, Penelope Brightstar, Claire Contigo, and Tanner Alexander, join the party. You are now in a seven person party. Be aware, you can only permit three more members.]

  “Good. Now think party, the screen will show all our names. Imagine the screen shrinking and turning into a flat bar at the bottom of your vision. Now focus on the bar and think show party. It will return to its maximum size. Imagine shifting the party screen to the side, either left or right. Make it smaller while ensuring readability. Got it?” Dean Liafinor asks.

  “Yes,” both students reply.

  “Now think dismiss party status. The screen should have gone away. Did it?” The dean asked.

  Once Tanner and Claire answer, “Yes.”

  The dean continues, telling the couple, “Good. Now think about sharing Status. Good. Oh, I see what you mean. Claire, we will go over yours first.”

  Claire’s Status Sheet

  NAME: Claire Contigo

  AFFINITY: (MIND) (RARE) Primal (EPIC)

  TIER: 0

  LEVEL: 0

  CLASS: NONE (UNDER LEVEL 10)

  ATTRIBUTE POINTS

  HIT POINTS (HP): 34

  MANA POINTS (MP): 40

  BODY: 34

  MIND: 40

  TALENTS:

  * STUDY; ABLE TO READ AND UNDERSTAND SUBJECTS AT AN

  ACCELERATED PACE.

  * PRIMAL MANIPULATION; ABLE TO SENSE PRIMAL ESSENCE.

  SPELLS: NONE

  SKILLS: NONE

  “The Gates are critical to how you will strengthen. The Essence enters the gates and effects changes to us. Each gate reacts a little differently to each Essence. According to the leading theory, they all consume the same Essence, such as Water Essence. Each gate processes the Essence in unique way. The Mind Gate may use the water to make your thoughts more flexible, giving increased mental attributes, while going through the Body Gate it may give increased strength or agility. Understand?” The dean asked her.

  “Yes,” Claire replies.

  “Now, for Affinities, the entire purpose of today’s ceremony. The attunement quantifies what your body can use the best. Three Gates exist. Mind, Body, and Soul. If your Mind Gate is open, it shows that the Essence you absorb goes through your Mind Gate. It gets refined and then distributed. This is the typical path to becoming a Mage. When your Body Gate is open, it shows that your Essence absorption is being pushed towards your physical body. This often leads to a physical class, basic warrior, for instance. When the Soul Gate is open, it pushes your Essence absorption more towards the soul. Confusion arises with the soul gate. Few people have it, and we have limited understanding of it. Soul Classes are powerful. Often, those with a Soul Affinity are very spiritual. They have developed deeper relationships with the Goddess and her Phaethon, or the world around them. Eunice, here is a prefect example. The Soul’s interaction with the world is the least known among three gates. It seems to be the most esoteric.” The dean said. Taking a breath, she continues. “Understanding the Mind is an ongoing process. Our understanding of Body Affinities are the greatest. Essences come in single aspect and multi aspect, which we will discuss later. Are you both following so far?” She asks.

  Tanner and Claire both nod in understanding.

  “We need to discuss rankings, rankings go as follows Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic. Rankings do not depend on the frequency or quantity of recipients. The rank denotes the strength of what your capabilities are and has nothing to do with anybody else or how often they show up. You both have the Mind Gate open. I’d like to discuss mind subsets for both of you. Claire, I will go over your subset first, then Tanner. You will learn about the others in class. Claire, you have a ranked Mind Gate. It’s uncommon to see this. Our Gates often show as unranked. For instance, just Body, or Mind. When a ranking shows, it means that you have a strong resonance with your Affinity. Why this is, we can only speculate. You will find the Mage path much easier to follow than others.” The Dean pauses, gazing at the couple.

  “I am not here to push you in any one direction. The path you follow is your decision. You can be a mage or a front line warrior swinging sword and board. Now Claire, your Affinity is Primal. I’ve never seen it before. Eunice? How about you?”

  “I think I remember something about a Primal mage several hundred years ago. I don’t believe we have had one in recent memory. People feared him and considered him unstoppable. With her having a Talent in that Essence manipulation should give us several hints in the right direction to guide her progress. We can go into the Church archives and investigate further. The same for you, Tanner, although your Arcane is more obscure.” Eunice says.

  “I agree,” Dean Liafinor states. “The Academy will search our records. You two are a puzzle. Having both of you with a Rare Mind rank and Epic Affinities is astonishing. We see Common, or Uncommon for the most part. To give you an idea of your potential. Someone with a Common ranked Gate and a Rare rank Affinity has the potential to become one of the strongest mages for that subset in the world. You have Epic ranked, you will most likely find magic almost instinctive. Once I’m back at the Academy, I’ll address any potential issues and assist in your desired growth.”

  Eunice takes over the explanation. “Now, focusing back on Claire, your physical stats are very good for a young woman your age. They are an excellent base to start out at. Hard work can improve this. Your mental Attribute is very high, well above average. This will be an excellent starting point for improvement. This will give you a leg up on a Mage Class. If you are not aware, you can work to improve all of your attributes. Physical and mental excises will give your base stats increases. This will establish a solid baseline for your class. Remember, the higher your base stats are, the better you will progress. Then, when you get your class choices at level ten. You will receive more and better class options. This will put you in a much better position to getting an advanced class right from your initial class start. Are you following so far?” Eunice asks. At Claire's nod, she continues.

  “You are also starting with two Talents. In the past, only one in a thousand gained a Talent at their Attunement. This year more newly awakened have been receiving Talents. We are also seeing an increase in awakened. I have never seen two Talents. With Study, you will gain knowledge and retain it much faster than others. This pairs well with a Mind Affinity. With your manipulation, you will most likely mold and form Primal Essences with your mind and move it from point to point. Even use it without having to cast any spells. While I do not know this for certain, this is what those with Mana manipulation can do. You are lucky to start with these abilities. Claire, do you have questions so far?”

  “No, I am following everything so far.”

  “Tanner, how about you?” The dean asks.

  “No questions, Ma’am.”

  “Tanner we will go over your status sheet now. Should we cover Tiers again?” The dean asked Tanner.

  “No Ma’am.” Tanner replies.

  “How about the Mind Gate?” She asks.

  “No, I think I understand enough about the three Gates and like you told us, you will teach us more in class.”

  “Now the fun parts. All the Essence circulating throughout the world have different aspects. I want to go over some of the Prime, Sub-Prime and Basic, aspects before we cover your Arcane aspect. Hopefully, this will give you some perspective on your gifts.” She smiles and takes another deep breath.

  “Attunement is the process that gives us the ability to use Essence, it determines what Essences work best for each of us, that is our Affinity. There are many types of Essences. This gives the aspect to the Affinities. Some Affinities use multiple Essences. We consider these Affinities to have a Prime aspect. Elemental is an example. It uses four essence types. Earth, water, fire, and wind. This makes it a Prime aspect. The Essences earth, water, fire, and wind are individual sub-aspects of Elemental. They are also Basic Affinities. Am I making sense so far? Having the Mind Gate open makes them Mind Affinity subsets. You can learn about the rest in the academy. Questions so far?” She asks.

  “No Ma’am.”

  “Claire, questions?”

  “No, I am following everything so far.”

  “Various Essence types exist, they are much stronger within the Dungeons, some are familiar and measurable. Elemental Essence, for instance. There are some things that emit Essences, like Dungeon pillars. Some places in the world have natural treasures that also emit Essences. We have Essences all around us. Once awakened, we can absorb and use the Essences we have become Attuned to. Our status sheet gives us a tool to quantify this. Our bodies absorb the Essence. When we have reached a saturation point and can absorb no more, our Attributes increase. This allows us to absorb more Essence. Are you both are following so far?” The dean stops to ask.

  “I am. Are all our gates open then?” Claire asks.

  The dean smiles. “You made that connection. All three are open, to some extent. In your case, your Mind Gate is open the furthest, and the next farthest open would be your Body Gate. Therefore, you see Mind and Body Stats. Your Soul Gates are open, just not open enough to show Attributes. This Attunement serves as the typical starting point. The Soul Attributes are what are called hidden attributes. They can show up later in your progression, or they may not. You are absorbing all the Essence the Dungeons produce, but your body only keeps what it can use. We know we use Essence through the primary open gate for our development. Any gate open uses and absorbs Essence, but to a lesser degree. Therefore, the ‘Hidden’ Stats can show up later in our progression. Just a basic overview, please keep in mind. In classes, we will provide a more detailed coverage of the topics. For now, just know we use the Essence coming into the three gates to progress further.”

  “Look at your Status Sheets,” The dean tells them. “Your MIND attributes just increased. You both have made some mental progress during this conversation.

  Claire: MIND: 42

  Tanner: MIND: 50

  “Hey, no fair, Tanner’s mind increased more than mine. Why?” Claire asks, looking at the dean.

  The dean explains. “Maybe Tanner has realized a deeper understanding or he had further to develop than you. You put the facts together and understood. That is why your attributes rose, make sense?”

  “So If I had a greater understanding, would my mind have surpassed his? Claire asked.

  “It is possible. We do not understand everything about how our upgrades happen. We can for the most part figure out why they happened afterwards, but that is a skill that takes some time to figure out. Still, it’s an educated guess.”

  Claire glares at Tanner. “You stole my mind point.”

  “Or you’re just not that perceptive,” Tanner teases.

  Bree laughs. “He got you on that one. Dear, let us prioritize the dean’s time.”

  The dean smiles at both Claire and Tanner. “So moving on to the Arcane subset. We know very little about it. Previous research shows a correlation between Arcane and Mana. Accounts exist of spells that harnessed Arcane energy. We believe it has some relation to Mana because of this. This is all we know. We haven’t had cause to dedicate research to these areas. I will notify a team so they can take action. Hopefully, we can get more information dug up by the time school starts. Researchers have found evidence of various Essences, identifying some while others remain unknown. The only reason I bring this up is Tanner’s Arcane affinity and Claire’s Primal affinity. Believe me, this is not the basic introduction to your Status Sheet talk. Both of you are puzzling. Questions so far? I know it is a lot to process. I promise we will go over more in depth when school starts. Second-semester advanced courses will be available for both of you. That will leave you both with fewer choices for electives, but I feel it will be important.” She pauses, looking at everybody in the party.

  Bree asks, “What does this mean for them? Are they in danger? Claire has the Primal affinity, Tanner has the Arcane affinity, are they going to have issues? We know some Affinities are detrimental. I worry they may become Broken. All of us were hoping for clarity, not more concerns and questions. Sorry Dean, I do not mean to say you have not been helpful. We have had many revelations thrown at us in a short a time. We are still attempting to process.”

  “I believe neither will have any serious problems. Both have the Manipulation Talent, that will be a tremendous help. The best course going forward, both should learn meditation to help them sense their Affinities. Both will struggle to learn about Arcane and Primal Affinities because of our limited knowledge. I do not know of any records that provide details about them. The Chaos Wars ended over 2,000 years ago, and we still struggle to regain our lost knowledge. With our fragments of historical records, we can make observations and compare some Essences and have been able to name them. Unfortunately, we know little more than that. Their true usage and function remain unclear. Historically, people who have had Affinities with Prime inclusive aspects have been able to develop into some of the most amazing class combinations we have ever read about. I doubt your affinities are basic. Your Affinities may well be a Sub-Prime or even a Prime Essence we are unaware of. We have some accounts from the past. A Time Mage capable of rewinding time. We're uncertain about Time Mages beyond the apparent. The Church has healers who can revive the dead. We don’t understand their Essences or process. These individuals are rare, coupled with our limited understanding, equates to limited information on the subject. Tanner and Claire represent an incredible opportunity for us to study and record their development.” The Dean exclaims.

  “Let’s clarify things from the start. Neither of my children will be academic experiments. Imperial Law and Divine Commandment will protect them and their status sheets, and they will continue to be protected. My Husband, myself, or Our representative, will vet any information from them they feel like sharing. No one will hound or pursue them.” Bree stands, her Imperial Majesty persona on display. “Is this clear to you Dean Liafinor?” She asks.

  “Yes, your Majesty,” the dean replies with a bow. “I did not mean to imply anything improper or using force of any kind. This potential opportunity to expand our knowledge base overwhelmed me.”

  Eunice addresses the newly Attuned couple. “Claire, Tanner, one thing I need to address, your Affinities are both Epic grade, This is a wonderful thing. You both have the potential to become powerful delvers. I will have people investigate this matter as soon as I leave here today. I will not give out your identities. You will only share your status with the people present here and the Emperor. The Goddess has given your both tremendous blessings. I look forward to seeing more of you both.”

  Dean Liafinor stands. “I, too look forward to working with you both. Empress, by your leave.”

  [You are now in a six person party. Taenya Liafinor has left the party.]

  To conclude the Attunement Ceremony, Harold announces the Summer’s End Celebration. Cheers erupt from all around the stadium. A heady mix of excitement spreads throughout the entire city, created by the sound of the crowd. The combinations of wood smoke, charcoal, and spicy meat cooking, along with the odor of strong drink, add an extra kick to the city’s atmosphere. All in the Imperial box seem immune to the joyous fervor of the exiting crowd.

  Harold joins the others, Bree sends him a party invite.

  [Harold Contigo has joined the party. You are now in a seven person party.]

  “Claire, Tanner, please share your status.” Bree asks. “Harold, we need to discuss this.”

  Harold looking over the two Status Sheets comments. “It’s concerning, not due to you two being a problem. But more of other people’s reactions. I gathered things were a little unusual from what conversation I overheard. It’s quite shocking. One thing, Primal, was the first Emperor’s Affinity. Looks like you are a chip off the old block, Claire … a few hundred years removed.” He smiles at Tanner and Claire. “Congratulations to you both, the Goddess has indeed Blessed you. We will figure this out, so don’t worry.” Harold continues. “Much as I would like to jump into this and solve it. Imperial politics makes demands on our schedule. We have several places to visit and parties to attend in the next few days. Eunice, will you accompany us, or do you have church functions?”

  “I have several things I need to attend to. Thanks for bringing me into this. I will do everything I can for Claire and her new friend.” She says with a small laugh.

  Harold clears his throat, “Fair enough, Gather at breakfast to discuss?” He asks, looking at his wife.

  “Yes,” Bree agrees, “I am not sure I trust Dean Liafinor. Not a premonition, just a feeling. It seems to me she, of all people, would remember the First Emperor was a Primal Mage. I could be mistaken. She may have just been overeager after seeing Claire and Tanner’s Affinities. This is a pretty big event. What happened to you both is going to have far-reaching consequence We need to keep our heads tonight. We have much to discuss in the morning. Keep the drinks to a minimum, everyone. Tanner, Claire, I know today marks your legal drinking age. Please use moderation?”

  Bree smiles her gratitude when the two nod in agreement. Harold offers his arm to Bree. “May I escort the pretty lady to the Grand Dukes Ball? I know the Emperor, pretty sure I can get you in.” He says, wiggling his eyebrows.

  “Oh Dad.” Claire sighs.